Jesus and the Jewish Traditions

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how, with texts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and a revised understanding of several wisdom texts, scholars have masterfully painted several different Jewish portraits of the man Jesus. The paper looks at how, despite the difficulties of determining the correct light in which to view the historical Jesus, the scholars draw upon three main Jewish traditions within Jesus' ministry: the Torah, the Messianic, and the Wisdom traditions. It shows how by further investigating Jesus' use of these Jewish traditions, one can better understand the historical Jesus, his context in first century Palestine and his self-understanding.

From the Paper:

"However, discovering the true, Jewish identity of Jesus is not a simple task. In his article, The Jewishness of Jesus: Facing Some Problems, Daniel J. Harrington identifies the problems with finding Jesus' true, Jewish identity. While he believes that several of the most basic facts about the Jewishness of Jesus cannot be doubted (i.e. he lived and died a Jew in Israel), simply placing the man Jesus within the context of the first century Palestinian Judaism is not enough to proclaim him a man of Jewish faith. During Jesus' time, there existed several religious and political sects within Palestine. Therefore, Harrington argues we can no longer speak of a normative Judaism, but instead the existence of several Judaisims. Realizing this, scholars began to ask which religious or political scene is the correct context to best understand the life of the Jewish man Jesus? In his book, Jesus and Judaism, Ed P. Sanders understood Jesus from the context of Jewish eschatology. Sanders focused on Jesus' actions in the temple and his spoken words concerning it. He also utilized scripture such as the books of Isaiah and Zechariah, which were highly popular during Jesus' time. Within this context, Jesus' public proclamations looked to the restoration of the temple and the Jewish people, and God's intervention would bring about a purified form of Judaism. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Charlesworth, James H. "From Messianology to Christology: Problems and Prospects." The Messiah. Ed. James H. Charlesworth. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992. 3-35
• Harrington, Daniel J. S.J. "The Jewishness of Jesus." Bible Review. 3.1 (1987): 36-37
• Harrington, Daniel J. S.J. "The Jewishness of Jesus: Facing Some Problems." Jesus' Jewishness. Ed. James H. Charlesworth. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Co.,1997.
• Lee, Bernard J. The Galilean Jewishness of Jesus. New York: Paulist Press, 1988. 118
• Rausch, Thomas P. S.J. Who Is Jesus: An Introduction to Christology. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1991. 43

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